The Darkness Among Us
by Fangirl1a
Summary: While fighting a mysterious dark monster, three of the X-Men get possessed and experience dark mutations. As the X-Men try to stop the creature, they find it increasingly harder to save their friends. Can they destroy the monster and help their teammates? Or will this story take an unexpected turn for the worse?
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry I've been inactive for a little while. I've been working on 3 fanfictions at one time but they'll be here soon. So for now, enjoy my new story.**

"It's terrorizing downtown!" Cyclops called to his team as he and Storm landed the X-Jet.

"Where did it come from?" Rogue asked but got nothing but a stiff shrug in response.

The jet landed on top of a building carefully, barely making a sound. Ink black smoke was sinister and rising all around.

"So, Scott?" Kitty called as they opened the jet door. "What exactly is the "it" we're talking about?"

Suddenly a swift cold breeze followed by a dark wailed came from a few blocks away. People ran screaming from its direction.

Scott waved his team over. "You're about to find out."

...

"What is that?" Jean took a step back at the sight of the creature.

It was a mass body of smoke, dark and as cold as the middle of the ocean on a starless night. The only sign of it behind alive were its eyes, blank and burning red with madness. It took up almost an entire street. It was spitting out a black goo that was coating over anything it touched. It was as tall as the skyscrapers around it and horribly vicious.

"We've got ourselves a big one," Wolverine told the kids.

"How do we destroy it if it isn't solid?" Shadowcat yelled over the screams.

"It doesn't get bigger unless fed Kitty. We might have to collect it bit by bit. I don't think we could contain it all at once," Cyclops informed her.

"So what are we waiting for?" Kurt jumped up and ran towards to monster.

Jean and Storm short behind and followed by the rest. Each X-Man held a capsule created by Forge to contain anything no matter how strong.

Nightcrawler was first and teleported himself to the ledge of a building. Inside a woman and her child screamed at the sight of him. But they instantly calmed down when he opened a white box and the darkness began to clear.

Rogue was below him, she grabbed her box from her belt and opened it towards the beast, it's smoky figure began to suck inside. She got a good chunk of it.

The creature was beginning to see it was being weakened and it didn't take it long to realize what was doing it. It howled in a raspy way like a strong wind. With a growl the creature opened its mouth, red as his eyes, and screamed. The wind blew back a number of X-Men as well as cars and street lamps.

"Hold on!" Wolverine yelled digging his claws into the ground, but he didn't find balance and ended up just scraping the pavement.

Kitty was able to avoid the wind by sinking under the ground. Rising back up she found her self face to face with the monster, now a few feet smaller. She smiled a little at the fact that it was becoming easier than she thought.

"Take this you big stink bomb," she grabbed her box and took in another good chunk of the creature.

It howled again. As the other X-Men were running back already, it noticed it wouldn't last much longer. It felt another suction from its back, Nightcrawler reappeared and took some more from it. The beast hissed and tried to spit on him but he was too fast and teleported out of the way. The goo hitting nothing but a street light.

"Kurt!" Rogue shouted to him as the dark beast took another spit, barely missing him this time.

"Hurry X-Men," Scott yelled "It's getting angrier!"

Kitty ran to get another bit but wast fast enough. This time the creature did something new. Out of its mouth it blew black smoke, it forcefully hit her straight on.

"Kitty!" Several people called for her.

When the smoke disappeared Shadowcat was out cold. Nightcrawler teleported in and out, picking her up and putting her back in the jet a block away. Oddly enough, the beast was even smaller after its attack, towering at only 10 feet or so. As if the strike at Kitty took out a third of its power.

"Come on everyone," Cyclops shouted "Lets finish this."

He ran towards the creature from behind and opened the box. But the darkness was ready and waiting. It turned around to face him with steering scarlet eyes. It hissed and spat the same smoke at him.

"Scott!" Jean flew towards him to ind him knocked out the same. She carefully levitated him to the jet.

The dark beast was only about the size of Blob now, but angrier with each decrease. The beast began a scream again, sending them all back half a block. It began to grow even darker and the air turned a freezing temperature. It didn't stop screaming and continued the gust of cold wind. As the smoke thrashed in anger it started spiting out everywhere, it was becoming uncontrollable, even to itself.

Storm tried to stop the wind but nothing worked. Jean quickly noticed someone was missing, the X-Men looked around for Rogue.

"There she is!" Wolverine yelled over the roaring wind and shrieking smoke.

The group looking where his eyes were. Rogue was gripping on for her life to a street light that was slowly coming out of it's place. She was surprisingly close to the creature and looked like she wanted to get closer.

"What is she doing?" Jean asked worried.

The X-Men looked on, some trying to call her over. But she didn't even look at them. Rogue was able to pull against the wind from the lamppost to a pay phone box, just as the post flew away. The phone booth wasn't doing much better. Rogue was about an arms length from the shadow monster now. By the time any of them realized what she was doing, they were too late.

"Rogue! Stop!" Storm tried to call to her just as the child's gloveless hand plunged into the beast.

The two began to flicker as anyone does when touching Rogue. The beast and the girl both screamed horribly. Rogue grabbed her wrist, trying to pull away. The beast had stopped the wind however, and the X-Men were coming to her rescue. All she needed to Kurt to push her away in order for everything to stop.

The street went silent. The smoke lingered on the spot, Rogue lay un ominous on the ground. The creature seemed to have regained it's sanity and Jean began to suck more of it into her box. As she did, it jerked awake. It looked down at itself, smaller than most of them now.

"Is it okay?" Nightcrawler asked for it seemed a little vague, like a lost child.

Suddenly the creature howled again and spat the last of its energy on Rogue. As the smoke surrounded and cleared her already unconscious body, the beast evaporated.

...

The X-Men arrived home in a heap. Cyclops, Kitty and Rogue were still out cold. Wolverine offered to carry Cyclops but Jean knew he'd be embarrassed about that when he woke up so he levitated him and Wolverine carried Rogue. Kitty, being to lightest, could be carried by Nightcrawler.

"How'd it go?" Bobby Drake asked the group as they arrived on the lawn.

"Did you contain the monster?" Hank questioned them.

"Was my invention awesome?" Forge grinned.

The Professor arrived at the top of the stairs with greetings and a smile.

Scott began to stir and Jean lay him down on the grass as the X-Men stared down at him. Scott's eyes shot open, but instead of his normal beams, the lens of his visor shattered outwards and the beams from his eyes were black. Black and cold as the middle of the ocean on a starless night.


	2. Chapter 2

Scott's eyes shot open, but instead of his normal beams, the lens of his visor shattered and the beams from his eyes were black. Black and cold as the middle of the ocean on a starless night.

"Hank! Get the children inside now," Professor X said sternly.

Hank obeyed without question and sent all the X-Men and students into the institute. Jean gave a short yell and sank to her knees so he picked her up and helped her inside.

"There's nothing there," she whispered to the Professor as he wheeled towards Scott and she into the institute.

Scott lay on the ground stiffly, eyes wide open. The obsidian beams shooting endlessly into space and cutting into the day sky.

"Scott? Can you hear me?" Xavier asked aloud.

The only sign of life in the boy was his chest rapidly rising with each breath. He was horrified to move.

"Scott can you hear me?" Xavier repeated into Scott's head.

No response yet again. Only the faintest whisper could he hear from inside. Professor Xavier focused as he dove into Scott's mind. Whatever was happening had his thoughts black and blurred. Xavier stood in Scott's mind, black smoke swept his feet as he walked.

"Scott?" Charles yelled for the boy. His voice echoed in the emptiness. He could barely see his own hands in front of him.

He continued walking in a desperate search for consciousness. Something to show Scott was still there. Suddenly it all turned blinding white and a screeching noise caused Charles to retreat. Scott had somehow kicked him out.

Charles awoke on the lawn. the students had returned. It was now well into the morning and Scott still lay on the grass, his eyes were closed.

"Are you alright Professor?" Amara asked.

"Yes. I'm fine thank you," he assured her while still watching Scott.

Jean's eyes were downcast. "You didn't get anything either did you?"

Professor Xavier shook his head. "Did he do that himself?" Xavier indicated Scott's closed eyes.

"No," Forge informed him "Amara noticed about an hour ago that the beams had stopped so we came out."

"He wasn't blinking so we closed his eyes," Bobbie added.

"And we saw you on the ground there," Kurt finished.

Charles was a little puzzled. "The beams stopped but his eyes remained open?"

Hank scratched his blue hair. "Well, that wasn't all. Here, I'll show you."

Hank McCoy helped Charles back into his wheelchair and led him a few feet away to where Scott lay, gesturing the students to stay back. Hank leaned down and with two finger, gently opened the eyes of Scott Summers.

"W-why are they doing that?" Xavier said in true befuddlement.

Charles found himself lost, locked in the eyes below him, swirling with black mist, blankly staring at the day sky. The movement inside was slow and calm, like a monster sleeping in it's cave, preparing for a night long hunt.

"There's no other explanation than, the creature did it," Beast told him "Jean told me about how it attacked Scott, Rogue and Kitty with black smoke and they remained out cold since. It seems our Cyclops has gone through some sort of dark change in his power because of it. She also mentioned the fact that the thing got smaller with each attack."

"Where are the girls now?" Charles asked, alarmed.

"Kitty and Rogue are currently sleeping in the hospital wing," he explained.

"I'll head there now. Tell Ororo and Logan to join me. I need you to contain Scott in a brightly lit room right now," Xavier instructed.

Once again, Hank obeyed with no further question. He lifted Scott up onto his back and walked away as Charles wheeled his way to the infirmary.

...

"So if that happened to Scott.." Logan began.

"What'll happen to the girls?" Ororo finished his sentence.

All the students stood in the infirmary, refusing to stay out. They stood outside the window to the room with Kitty and Rogue, both lay peacefully. Above them, a security feed on screen showed Scott in his white room, still asleep.

"I can't imagine what'll happen if Rogue's mutation gets any darker," Bobby said.

Jean hit him in the arm disapprovingly.

"What? She can't hear me," Bobby held his arm.

From inside the room Rogue began to wake.

"You rose her from the dead," joked Forge.

"This isn't time to be hoofing around you two," Storm scolded the boys.

Rogue sat up in her bed and opened her eyes, misty black, just like Scott's. But unlike her teammate, she seemed more aware of her surroundings at this point.

"Hello?" Rogue called out. "Where am I? What's going on?"

Kurt scratched his head "Can't she tell she's home?"

Bobby knocked on the glass cautiously.

"Who's there?" Rogue stared his way with her pitch black eyes, she looked right through him. "Tell me where I am right now!" Rogue began to scream out.

Logan and Xavier ran into the room as the girl became increasingly scared.

"Rogue?" Charles addressed her.

"Professor?" Rogue looked over his shoulder. "Where am I?"

"You're home. In the infirmary," he told her.

"Are the lights off?" she asked cautiously, knowing the answer already.

"No."

"Oh my god. Am I blind? Why can't I see anything?"

Logan walked towards her. "Calm down kid," he said. "It'll all be explained soon."

"Logan? I don't understand what's going on," said Rogue as she brought her knees to her chest.

Xavier was about to put his hand on her shoulder but quickly assumed it best not to touch her in her state of blindness.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Wolverine asked her.

"I-I touched it," she said "I touched the monster. And it was horrible, it was so dark. And then I woke up like this."

"Professor! Logan! Please come quick," Jean opened the door behind them and waved them outside.

"We'll be right back kid," Logan told Rogue as they walked out of the room. He got a small nod as a response.

Outside the room the students were looking up at the monitor of Scott in the empty white room.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Scott called out.


End file.
